Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) – Pediatric Feeding & Home Health

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

VHCS Clinical - Pediatrics

Job Summary:

Evaluate and treat patients with speech, language, voice, cognition, fluency, auditory (re)habilitation, and swallowing/oral feeding disorders. Educate and counsel patients and families. Provide independent therapeutic services and identify area(s) of clinical specialization and competency. Supervise graduate students as assigned in clinical specialty area. Participate actively in identifying and conducting quality improvement activities. Collaborate with clinical practice team to achieve patient outcomes and system objectives.

.

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) – Pediatric Feeding & Home Health (PRN)

Summary

Vanderbilt Home Care Services is a leading pediatric home health provider delivering skilled therapy services across Middle Tennessee for more than 40 years. Our home health team of over 175 licensed clinicians supports more than 650 patients each day, allowing children and families to receive high‑quality, medically necessary care in their homes.

We are seeking a Speech‑Language Pathologist (SLP) with experience in pediatric feeding, infant medical feeding, neonatal feeding therapy, and pediatric dysphagia to provide pediatric home health speech therapy services for medically fragile infants and young children. This PRN home health position offers flexible scheduling and highly autonomous, one‑on‑one clinical practice focused on feeding and swallowing in the home environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate and treat infants and young children in a home health setting with feeding and swallowing disorders, including pediatric dysphagia and medically complex feeding needs

• Provide pediatric home health speech‑language pathology services supporting early communication development, feeding safety, and functional swallowing

• Educate and counsel caregivers on infant feeding strategies, oral‑motor interventions, positioning, bottle‑feeding modifications, and safe swallow techniques

• Deliver independent home health speech therapy care, exercising advanced clinical judgment in pediatric and neonatal feeding intervention

• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary pediatric home health team to support infant growth, safety, and clinical outcomes

• Participate in quality improvement efforts and uphold best practices in pediatric feeding therapy and home health care

Qualifications

• Minimum 1 year of experience in pediatric feeding, infant medical feeding, neonatal feeding therapy, or pediatric dysphagia

• Licensed Speech‑Language Pathologist in the state of Tennessee or eligible for licensure. CCC‑SLP

• Strong clinical reasoning, communication skills, and commitment to family‑centered home health care

• Ability to work independently and manage a flexible PRN pediatric home health caseload

Why Vanderbilt Home Care Services

• Part of a nationally recognized academic medical center and health system

• Established pediatric home health program with clinical leadership and professional support

• Flexible PRN scheduling supporting work–life balance

• Opportunity to practice at the top of scope in pediatric feeding and swallowing therapy

• Meaningful one‑on‑one care with infants and families in the home health environment

Apply Today

Join Vanderbilt Home Care Services and use your expertise in pediatric feeding and home health speech therapy to support the growth, development, and safety of infants across Middle Tennessee. Deliver specialized care where families need it most—at home.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Completes documentation in a manner consistent with medical center and department policies. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Consistently meet standards for timely filing of documentation.

• Document and report information consistent with medical-legal policies and professional standards, using language appropriate to the use of the documentation and the audience/recipients.

• Document to ensure reimbursement of services provided.

• Provides clinical services in a manner consistent with compliance requirements, medical center policies, and the department's financial goals. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Meet productivity standards.

• Make judicious decisions relative to department funds and resources.

• Completes speech-language, auditory, and/or swallowing/oral feeding assessments using the appropriate testing methods and equipment for the patient type, diagnosis, and reason for the referral. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Obtain the case history.

• Administer and score formal and informal tests and assessments.

• Analyze and interpret test and assessment results.

• Report findings to the patient/client, family, referring physician, and other members of the health care team in a timely manner and consistent with HIPAA standards.

• Evaluate and incorporate research findings into the assessment and treatment of patients.

• Formulates functional treatment plans to address the impairments and the patient/client and family concerns. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Include objectives based upon assessment results and family input.

• Write functional objectives in measurable terms.

• Develop objectives consistent with the family's goals and resources.

• Apply evidence based clinical management practices.

• Identify and recommend additional/alternative services when appropriate.

• Provides appropriate discharge planning. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Inform patients/clients, family members and members of the health care team of the projected discharge plans.

• Make appropriate discharge recommendations.

• Provides education and counseling to the patient/client, family, and health care team. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Communicate functional implications of assessment findings and treatment, including information on specific diagnoses, disease processes, and conditions.

• Recognize and adjust education and counseling to address any barriers to communication.

• Provides supervision to students as assigned and as appropriate to quality patient care and their professional development needs. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Provide instruction, information, readings, guidance/counsel and training to ensure competent patient care is provided by supervisees at all times.

• Ensure supervisees comply with unit-specific, department/center, and medical center policies and procedures.

• Ensure supervisees are evaluated in writing and evaluations are documented in a timely manner and reviewed face-to-face consistent with all pertinent/established guidelines and standards for supervision in the department.

• Meets all mandated continuing education requirements. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Maintain continuing education records and submit continuing education verification documentation to maintain state licensing and ASHA requirements.

• Attend supervisory and other training activities provided within the Medical Center.

• Provides education to others and participates in formal/informal research activities. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Participate in teaching and mentoring activities on campus and/or in the community.

• Participates in formal research, data collection, an application of evidence based practices, and/or quality assurance data collection activities.

• Displays Professionalism and Leadership. Demonstrates the ability to:

• Participate in professional organizations.

• Advocate on behalf of the profession or the clients we serve.

• Participate in fundraising, marketing activities, or community liaison activities on behalf of the Center.

• Ensure facility accreditation standards are met and maintained.

• Act independently but with concurrence of supervisors to solve problems.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

​

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

LIC-Speech Pathologist - Tennessee

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

1 year

Education:

Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity.  EOE/Vets/Disabled.